Intel demos Keeley Lake swivel laptop

Intel has used Computex 2011 to show off its proof-of-concept new Keeley Lake design.

Keeley Lake is essentially a laptop that converts to a tablet by incorporating a swivel display. That’s nothing new, but where Keeley Lake differs is in its use of the new Cedar Trail Atom processor.

Essentially, what Intel is offering manufacturers is the next-generation dual core Atom chip built on a 32nm process in a super-thin laptop design. The fact it converts to a tablet means it can potentially cross the gap to that market and be attractive to someone who wants both a netbook and a touchscreen tablet device.

In order to class as a Keeley Lake machine Intel has imposed a few must-haves. Just like the new Ultrabook category, the laptop can be no thicker than 20mm. It must also include a multi-touch capacitive display, and be “stylish” and “sleek” in its design. In other words, these machines have to be super thin and good looking.

The units on display at the Intel booth are not real products and will never come to market. However, Intel is hoping some of the big manufacturers will take a look and decide to develop their own Keeley Lake laptops.

Tablets are great for their portability and touch interface, but they aren’t perfect. If they were, we wouldn’t see keyboard accessories for them, or cases that double as a way to turn your tablet into a netbook.

I think there is definitely a market for Keeley Lake, but it has to allow for very thin laptops that remain easy and light to hold when in tablet mode. As they use an Atom chip, and with Intel’s restrictions on thickness, I’m pretty confident that’s both achievable and desirable for companies like Asus, HP, and Samsung to name but a few who may pick this design up.

We have netbooks and nettops today running Atom without a fan. With the move to 32nm there will be even less heat being dissipated meaning less cooling and the chance to go very thin. The new Ultrabook category is seen as the true MacBook Air competitor, but I don’t see why Keeley Lake couldn’t cater to that crowd too.

The one downside of Keeley Lake is manufacturers may see it as an opportunity to “go premium” and charge more than you would expect to pay for a netbook. That would be a mistake, and if anyone wants to compete with tablets they need to keep the price low for what is essentially a swivelling netbook.

The good news is, it may be very easy for manufacturers to keep the price down. Intel is expected to cut the price of Cedar Trail Atoms by as much as 50% meaning a Keeley Lake device can easily compete with current netbook pricing.

Speak Your Mind

Richard Willetts

I think looking at KL as “essentially a swivelling netbook” is coming at it from the wrong direction, it has a large, capacitive, multi-touch display, which netbooks don’t have. This makes it more of a tablet with swivelling keyboard, and tablets DO command a premium over netbooks, especially at equivalent size, due in no small part to the screen.